OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The No. 15 Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team outscored Stevenson 7-2 in the third quarter to overcome a first-half deficit and post a 16-12 win against the host Mustangs on the first day of the 2026 Callum Robinson Mustang Classic on Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The 7-2 score in the third quarter was part of an overall 9-2 W&L (3-3) run that spanned from the end of the second quarter to early fourth quarter to flip an 9-6 deficit to a 15-11 lead. Senior James Haley scored three goals during that run to lead the offense, with first-year Zach Rosenberg stopping five shots in goal.
- Both teams scored three goals in the first quarter, but the game stayed within a goal throughout the opening 15 minutes. The Mustangs (1-5) looked to open the game up with a 5-2 run in the second quarter, but senior Elliot Cohen tallied the first goal of the 9-2 W&L run with 29 seconds left in the second.
- First-year Tucker Davis netted his ninth goal of the season to start the fourth quarter, followed by a Stevenson goal from Hunter Bryant at 10:59. First-year Max Fertels scored the game's final goal with 9:00 left in regulation, before the W&L defense held Stevenson to just four shots total (one on goal) over the final nine minutes.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Haley led the W&L offense with seven points on five goals and two assists, followed by Davis at five points on four goals and an assist. The duo combined for seven ground balls and both caused one turnover.
- Fertels scored three goals, Cohen scored twice and sophomore Jack Dalton assisted two goals to round out the multi-point scorers.
- Sophomore Israel Mikkelson went 16-of-20 with 13 ground balls to lead the Generals' efforts at the X. Junior Thomas Moxley won 7-of-9 and scooped up four ground balls.
- Senior Colin Beatty led all non-faceoff players for W&L with five ground balls, with senior defensemen Nick Garcia and Jay O'Keefe both causing two turnovers.
- Darrell Curtis (4g, 1a) and Max Racich (1g, 4a) posted a Stevenson-high five points apiece, with another four points (3g, 1a) from Gavin Gossen.
- Ayden Fadrowski paced the Mustangs' defense with two caused turnovers. Tyler Merchant (5) and Connor Dunay (4) had the most ground balls for the hosts.
- Rosenberg finished the game with 12 saves at a rate of 50 percent, while Merchant made 16 saves for the Mustangs.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Haley's big game propelled him into ninth place on the program's all-time goals list with 119. He is four away from passing Taylor Witherell '22 for eighth. Haley also passed Sam Englehart '73 (191) for the ninth-most points in program history. Haley needs eight more to reach 200 for his career.
TEAM STATS:
- The Generals ended the night with more shots (58-49), shots on goal (31-24) and ground balls (48-31) than the Mustangs.
- W&L's man-down defense shined on Friday night, killing off nine of Stevenson's 11 man-up opportunities throughout the game.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will play in their second game of the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic on Saturday against No. 13 RIT at 5:45 p.m.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
After the game, Head Coach
Gene McCabe and senior defensive midfielder spoke with the media:
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
